SYDNEY: Virgin Mobile has become the first Australian telco to let consumers on Post-paid mobile plans roll unused data from their monthly allowance over into the next month.
The decision should please consumer groups like ACCAN and Choice that have been lobbying for such a move for some time now.
According to Virgin Mobile chief executive David Scribner, research carried out by the telco illustrates a real demand in the market for such a service, with 40 per cent of Australian Smartphone users voicing their discontent on the high cost of breaking data limits or adding data packs.
“There is an interesting dynamic at play although less than one in five of our customers use all their data in any given month, many customers are ‘occasional breakers’ and over a six-month period,” Mr Scribner said.
“We looked into it and discovered that almost half of these people would have paid nothing or at least reduced excess charges if they had Data Rollover. Think of the money they could have saved.”
Virgin Mobile was one of the first Australian mobile providers to offer customers the ability to roll over calls and texts and is now replicating the feature on data.
The data rollover offering is now available on all new Post-paid mobile plans.
Those looking to sit on their data plan and hoard it for a rainy day will find little joy, with Virgin Mobile stating that the rollover only takes into account standard data not used in the previous month.
